I'll Stand By You
by BeaRsBeeTsBattleStarGalacticAx
Summary: Sort of AU... A new girl comes to McKinley. Someone she never expected is intrigued by her, and not because he wants to know what's under her shirt.
1. First Day

(AN: This is my very first Glee fanfic, so be nice. I hope everyone likes it and remember to R&R!)

I walked into the side doors of the school with my schedule in hand. I had absolutely no idea where I was going, and no one seemed to notice. Before I go any further, let me tell you my story. My name is Jordyn Phillips, I was born in Canton Vermont, a town almost as small as Lima, my dad's a sports journalist and my mom's a realtor. I have an older brother Mike, who's nineteen, and a little sister Abby, who's seven.

Anyway, back to the story. I still couldn't wrap my head around why we had moved in the first place. We had a nice house, lived in a good neighborhood, and plus I got to go skiing every other weekend. I didn't have that many friends in Vermont, just a few that I would hang out with outside of school every once and a while. And I certainly didn't have a boyfriend. I have brown/light brown hair and brown eyes, _very _boring in my opinion and obviously in the guys at my schools opinions too.

I walked down hallways aimlessly, looking the history wing. It was already 8:21, so I went in the first room I saw. I walked in, and not a lot of the seats were filled. There were a few really smart looking kids reading out of textbooks and studying and a couple of other kids talking in low whispers. I saw a kid in a wheelchair sitting in the front right corner of the classroom. He had nice clothes on, like he was going to his grandparent's house for Thanksgiving instead of to school. He looked bored out of his mind, and kind of lonely. Just then, the bell rang for homeroom. I sat down next to the kid in the wheelchair with the glasses. A man that looked in his early 40s came into the room with a newspaper under his arm. I assumed he was the teacher.

"Good morning class," he bellowed. "Today we're taking a break from the American Revolution, and learning about current events."

"We won't have much to talk about then," some kid in the back of the room quipped.

"Keep your comments to yourself Carter," the teacher told him. He sat down at his desk in the front of the room and flipped through the newspaper, giving me a few minutes to introduce myself to the kid sitting next to me.

"Is this room…" I looked down at my schedule. "118?"

He looked up from tracing curse words on the desk with his finger and looked at me.

"Huh?" he asked. He gave me a "why are you talking to me?" look.

"Is this room 118?" I repeated.

"Yeah," he said. "Mr. MacKenzie, 11th grade history."

"I thought so," I said. "My name's Jordyn, Jordyn Phillips."

"Artie Abrams," he said, holding out his hand. I shook it.

"Oh, and before I forget," Mr. MacKenize said, looking up from the paper. "Where's… Jordyn Phillips?"

"Right here sir," I said quietly. I felt as if all eyes were on me after I told him.

"Hmm," he mumbled. "Welcome to McKinley."

I looked down into my lap, feeling embarrassed, and also a little nervous. Were all the teachers here going to be like this?

"Alright class," he bellowed again, standing up. "Did anyone hear about the new car dealership opening up on 4th street?" There were a number of "yeahs" and "who cares" and "I thought they were gonna turn that into a convince store"s.

"Hey," Artie whispered to me. "Lemme see your schedule."

"I don't think Mr. MacKenzie wants us talking wh-"

"Just lemme see it," he whispered a little louder.

I handed him the piece of paper.

"It looks like we're in the same lunch period," he told me. "And the same English class… oh cool, you have Mr. Shuester too!"

"Cool," I said with a small smile.

"Hey hey hey, this isn't the food court at the mall guys," Mr. MacKenzie said. "Stop talking."

"Sorry Mr. MacKenzie," I said quietly.

_Great, the first teacher I meet on my first day at my new school already hates me, I thought. _

"Yeah, sorry," Artie said.

"_As _I was saying, Lima still has the small town feel it had when it was first developed in the 1950s, am I right?" he asked the class.

"People are putting up too many buildings," a girl sitting in the middle row wearing a shirt with a peace sign on it answered. "It's ruining the environment."

"Right the… environment," Mr. MacKenzie repeated. "Any other opinions?"

"We're finally getting recognized for something other than football," Artie said.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"Our Glee Club just won sectionals," he said proudly.

"No Directions doesn't count for anything at this school," one of the jocks sitting in the back of room said. "It's just a bunch of misfits and that pretty boy Spanish teacher singing and dancing."

Artie shot him a look.

"Calm down, calm down," Mr. MacKenzie said with no emotion.

Just then, the PA speaker underneath the clock crackled.

"Good morning William McKinley," a girl with a peppy voice announced. "Please stand for the pledge." Everyone stood up and turned towards the flag. Artie obviously couldn't stand, but he put his hand on his heart. The preppy girl said the Pledge of Allegiance, and then went back to the announcements. "Today there is a basketball game against the Concord Rams. The musical theatre company will be holding auditions in the auditorium at 3:30, and the following clubs and sports are cancelled because of the weather: winter track, the hiking club, and also marching band. That's the end of today's announcements, have a good day!"

Literally five seconds after the morning announcements ended, the bell rang. I put my notebook in my backpack and stood up.

"See ya 4th period," Artie said with a smile. He started rolling towards the door.

"Yeah," I said. "Are you sure you don't…"

"I'm fine," he assured me. "Good luck."

"I think I'm gonna need it," I said.

I walked out of the room behind him.

* * *

The next two periods went 10 times slower than first period. I sat through 40 minutes of my science teacher, Ms. Conner, spitting on me because I sat right in the front. Most of the kids laughed at me, because they knew it was coming and I didn't. Third period was art, which was fun. The teacher, Mrs. Casey, was pretty nice. Crazy, but nice. She showed the class how to make pottery on a pottery wheel, and everyone, including me, got clay all over themselves. I got most of it off me by the time the bell rang, but when I walked into my Spanish class (15 minutes late because I couldn't find the room), Artie gave me a confused look. So did my teacher. He must've been "the pretty boy Spanish teacher" that kid Kyle was talking about in my history class. He had nice eyes, and seemed friendly, because when I walked into the doorway and asked "Is this Mr. Shuester's room?" he smiled and said, "Yes, you must be Jordyn. Beinvenidos!"

I nodded, trying not to blush. "Mhmm," I said, getting a little nervous. I saw Artie sitting in the front right corner of the room, and I calmed down. "Can I… sit where I want?"

"Sure sure," he said. "Take your pick."

I walked across the room and sat next to Artie, like I had in history.

"So Jordyn," Mr. Shuester said, walking to the front of the room.

_Great, I thought. I hate being put on the spot, and he's asking me questions. _

"How long have you been taking Spanish?" he asked.

"Since 6th grade," I told him, trying to sound confident.

"Okay," he said. "If you need any help, _don't _hesitate to ask me."

"Got it," I said.

He went back to his desk. Suddenly, a small piece of paper landed in front of me. I opened it up and it read:

_Just about every girl at McKinley has or had a crush on Shuester. He's a cool guy… but don't get your hopes up._

I looked over at Artie. "Why would I?" I asked him quietly. "And what makes you think I have a thing for him? I _just _met the guy."

He shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "The way you blushed when he smiled made it seem like you did."

"He's attractive alright," I whispered. "But nothing to go crazy over. And besides, he's my teacher."

Mr. Shuester looked up from what he was doing.

"No no no, it's _estas _comiendo, not ellos," Artie said loudly, trying to make it seem like we were working on the sheet he gave us.

"Oh I see," I said just as loud, going along with the little game.

Suddenly, the bell rang, making me jump a little. I heard snickers coming from all around me. I awkwardly got out of my seat and walked towards the door as quick as I could.

* * *

My next class after Spanish was math, which was a complete nightmare. The teacher, Mr. Harrison, was old and mean. All he did was introduce me to the class, and then go on with the lesson like I'd been going to the school the whole year. And to make things even worse, math has always been my worst subject. Anyway, I was happy after the bell for 6th period rung, because I had lunch that period, which meant I got to hang out with Artie. Even though I hadn't even known him for a whole day yet, we were becoming more than just acquaintances.

I found the cafeteria quickly, and when I walked in and saw that everyone had a place at a table, except me, of course. That's how it'd had always been, even at my old school. I usually ate lunch by myself or with one or two of my only real friends, who I had known since kindergarten. I was thinking about just grabbing lunch and sitting in the bathroom to eat my lunch like on TV shows, but then I saw Artie frantically waving me over to where he was sitting.

I walked over to the table. He was sitting with two other kids.

"Hey Artie," I said.

"Hi," he said back. "Guys, this is Jordyn, she just moved here from Vermont."

"Hi," I said quietly.

"I'm Mercedes," the girl who was sitting with them said.

"Kurt Hummel," the other boy said. I knew right away that he was gay, but I didn't mind. He seemed nice. "Pleasure to meet you."

"You too," I said, getting more comfortable.

"So where in Vermont did you live?" Mercedes asked.

"Canton, it's about 20 miles outside of Killington," I told them.

"You ski?" Artie asked.

"Yeah, I used to go every other weekend with my dad," I said.

"I love your shirt by the way," Kurt said. "Is that from Express?"

"I think so," I told him.

There was an awkward silence between everyone, so we picked at our lunches.

"Jordyn's a really good singer," Artie spat. "When we were walking from first period I heard you…"

I blushed a deep shade of red.

"You should come try out for Glee Club," he said.

"I'm not _that _good," I said. "I'm not good in front of a lot of people anyway."

"You'll never know unless you try," Mercedes said.

"Hey cripple," someone behind us said. I turned around to see a huge guy, probably a football player, with a Mohawk standing over Artie.

"What do you want Puck?" Artie asked him.

"Someone sounds mad," he said. He looked at me. "Who's this? Another misfit?" He took my lunch tray from in front of me and threw it on the ground.

"Leave us alone Puck," Mercedes interjected. "She doesn't need you making fun of her, neither does Artie."

Puck and his gang of jocks walked away coolly whispering and laughing to themselves.

"That was Puck, football player, girl magnet, and #1 on McKinley's list of assholes," Artie explained. "Him and his friends get a kick out of making fun of me."

"What, just because they can use their legs and you can't?" I asked.

"Basically yeah," Artie said.

"They make fun of me too," Kurt chimed in. "'Cause ya know… I'm gay."

"You both don't deserve it," I said. "You're both really nice guys… but those jocks only see what they think."

Just then, the bell rang, and the cafeteria was in chaos. There were kids everywhere, and I thought I wasn't going to make it out of there alive. My next class was study hall, and then 9th period was English. I found the room with only a little difficulty, and sat down in a random seat. The bell rang, and everyone who was either standing around talking to one another or walking in late sat down at their desks. The teacher, who was a little old lady with glasses hanging on a chain around her neck, waddled over to the ancient computer sitting on her desk. She stared at the computer for a minute, as if she were looking at something written in a foreign language, and then put her glasses on.

"Is everyone here?" she asked us, practically screaming.

"_Yes _Mrs. Ferguson," was what I heard from behind me and next to me in both directions.

"Okay," she said, looking back at the computer.

Suddenly, a tall, broad shouldered boy walked into the room. The second he walked into the room he intimidated me; he was a jock, I could tell because he was wearing his letterman jacket, and me and jocks did _not _mix. We were on two completely different sides of the high school spectrum. I guessed he was over 6 feet tall, which because I was only 5 feet tall, was gigantic. He looked at the class quickly, giving me time to look him over. His eyes were cold, like there were barriers in front of them so no one could be let in. He looked like he had been running, or doing something that required breaking a sweat.

"Why are you late?" she asked the boy calmly.

"I… um, Mr. Tanaka let us out late," he stammered.

"Alright, but one more late and you have detention," she told him.

He nodded and walked down the aisle of desks next to the one I was in. I secretly hoped that he wouldn't sit next to me; I wasn't in the mood for _another _jock to bother me. He sat next to me, and I tensed up. I pretended to actually be interested in the passage I was reading in my science textbook.

"Are you new here?" he asked. I practically jumped out of my seat. "I've never seen you before…"

"Yeah," I said so quietly it was almost inaudible.

"My name's Finn," he said with a small grin. I turned towards him to introduce myself.

"Jordyn, Jordyn Phillips," I told him. "I just moved here."

"Is your dad the new sports journalist for the Herald?" he asked.

"Mhmm," I hummed. Why did this kid care about me? I was just some misfit who hung out with even more misfits.

It looked like he was going to keep talking to me, but obviously noticed that I was uncomfortable. He went into his backpack and took out a notebook.

(AN: I know, I know it's an OC fic. But I'm going to try my best not to make it like the ones that are usually on here, so read and review!)


	2. Glee Club

"You're trying out!" Mercedes said, almost shouting. "Come on, we're gonna be late."

"I really don't think I'm that good," I told them for the millionth time.

"You have to at least _try_," Kurt begged.

"C'mon Jordyn," Artie said, looking up at me. "You're good." I could tell he was being sincere, and plus by then, Kurt and Mercedes were already dragging me to the choir room.

"Fine," I sighed.

They led me to a room I had only passed that day about once or twice. It was bigger than the other rooms in the hallway, and had chairs on risers against one wall with a piano in the middle of the room. There were already about ten kids in the room.

"Mr. Shue," Mercedes announced. "We have somebody who wants to try out for the Glee Club."

"Really?" he asked, turning around so he was facing the doorway. "We're always open for new additions right guys?" There was a chorus of "yeahs".

"Go," Artie whispered.

I gulped and hesitantly stepped forward.

"Jordyn, you wanna try out? I didn't expect someone as quiet as you to want to be in Glee Club," he said. "Go on."

"I'll play for her," Kurt volunteered. That made me feel a little more comfortable. He went over to the piano and sat down on the bench.

"Do you know 'Only the Good Die Young'?" I whispered.

He nodded and I went to the other side of the piano so everyone who was sitting could see me.

I took a deep breath, and then Kurt started playing the opening part of the song. I was nervous beyond belief, because I hadn't sung in front of people before.

"Come out Virginia,

Don't let me wait.

You Catholic girls start much too late.

Oh, but sooner or later it comes down to fate,

I might as well will be the one," I sang, trying not to sound nervous.

"Well they showed you a statue,

Told you to pray.

Built you a temple and locked you away.

Ah, but they never told you the price it would pay,

For things that you might have done.

Only the good die young!

That's what I said!

Only the good die young,

Only the good die young."

I looked around the room at no one in particular. I looked at Mr. Shuester, and he gave me a look, telling me to keep going.

"You mighta heard I run with a dangerous crowd,

We ain't to pretty, we ain't to proud,

We might be laughin' a bit too loud,

Oh, but that never hurt no one.

So come on Virginia!  
Show me a sign,  
Send up a signal; I'll throw you a line.  
The stained glass curtain you're hidin' behind,  
Never lets in the sun.

Darlin' only the good die young!  
Oh woe woe woe woe!  
I tell ya only the good die young,  
Only the good die young."  
I started getting more comfortable singing in front of everyone, because there were smiles on many of their faces.

"You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation!" I belted out.  
You've got a brand new soul,  
Mmm, and a cross of gold.  
But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information!  
You didn't count on me,  
When you were counting on your rosary.

Oh woe woe!  
And they say there's a Heaven,  
For those who will wait.  
And some say it's better,  
But I say it ain't!

I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.  
The sinners are much more fun.

You know that only the good die young!  
Oh woe woe baby!  
I tell ya only the good die young!  
Only the good die young.

Said your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation!  
Ah! She never cared for me.  
But did she ever say a prayer for me?  
Oh woe woe!

Come out, come out, come out!  
Virginia don't let me wait!  
You Catholic girls start much too late!  
Sooner or later it comes down to fate.  
I might as well will be the one.

You know that only the good die young!  
Tell ya baby!  
You know that only the good die young!  
Only the good die young.  
Only the gooood!  
Only the good die young.

Oo oo oooo  
Oo!  
Oo oo oo oo  
Oooo oo!  
Oo oo oo  
Oo!  
Oo oo oo oo  
Oooo oo!  
Oo oo oooo  
Oo!  
Oo oo oo oo  
Oooo oo!

Only the good die young!  
Only the good die young."

I had closed my eyes because I got nervous, and because I think I kinda got into it. I opened them and blushed, because Artie, Mercedes, and Kurt started clapping. Then everyone joined in with them. Mr. Shue had a huge smile on his face.

"I had no idea a voice like that could come from a girl like you," he said.

"Thanks," I said.

"Welcome to New Directions," he told me with a smile. "Go, sit down."

I grinned and went to sit next to Artie and Mercedes.

"That was great," Mercedes said when I sat down.

"I told you you could do it," Artie said. "And look; now you're in the Glee Club!"

"Hi," someone next to me said. I turned to see a girl with brown hair and eyes, pretty enough to be an actress or a model. "I'm Rachel Berry."

"Jordyn Phillips," I told her. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," she said cheerfully. "That was a great song choice, but you were a little pitchy in some spots."

"Thanks for telling me," I told her.

It was going to be a _long _hour and a half if this Rachel girl kept nit picking everything I did.

"Alright guys, we don't we work on something new today?" Mr. Shue asked, more like said. "I was thinking about something more upbeat than what we've been doing lately."

"Just tell us already," a deep voice said in the back row.

"'Eight Days A Week' by The Beatles," he told us.

"Aren't like all of them dead?" the girl whose name I think was Brittany said.

"Only two of them are dead," I mumbled.

"Anyway, here's the sheet music for all of you to take a look at," he said, passing the pile of papers around.

I looked down at the sheet of paper in my hands. I already knew the words to the song. My parents were big on teaching my brother Mike and I about classic rock when we were younger. We were put to sleep by The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Beatles, and Buddy Holly when we were babies, so my music repertoire was pretty big.

After letting us look over the lyrics a few times, Mr. Shuester came back in front of the room.

"Okay," he said. "Finn, how about you sing the first part? It's meant for someone with sort of a deep voice."

_Finn? I thought. Like, as in the same Finn that's in my study hall? _He's _in Glee Club? _

He walked down the risers and stood next to the piano. I got nervous again. His cold, hard eyes met mine and I looked down into my lap.

"Are you okay?" someone asked, making me jump. Artie. He sounded concerned.

"Yeah, I'm just… nervous," I told him.

"Are you sure that's all?" he asked. "You look tense."

"I don't know," I said. "I guess I'm just excited."

I hadn't known Artie for even two days yet, and I hated lying to him already.

"Ready?" Mr. Shuester asked Finn. He nodded and the pianist started playing.

Finn started singing the first few bars of the song, and I couldn't believe my ears. How could a voice that beautiful come from someone so cold and mean?

* * *

"Mom, I'm home!" I called as I shut the front door of my house.

"Hi honey," she said, walking into the foyer. "Where were you?"

"I stayed after school," I told her. "My friends made m-"

"You made friends?" she asked. "On your first day?"

"Yeah," I told her. "Anyway, my friends, Kurt, Mercedes, and Artie made my try out for Glee Club and I made it!"

"That's great honey," she said. "But you should've called when you knew you were staying after."

"I know Mom, but-"

"Just go upstairs and do your homework," she sighed, cutting me off mid-sentence again.

I mumbled to myself and trudged up the stairs.

(AN: I hope everyone liked the second chapter!! Remember to read an review, because reviews to me are like what Wicked is to Kurt, love.)


	3. Getting a McKinley Welcome

(AN: I've been noticing that everyone has been alerting and favoriting this, but like no one's been actually reviewing! Come on guys, I need some constructive criticism… I forgot to put this in the first chapter, I don't own anything that has to do with Glee, Ryan Murphy does. But I _wish _I could own Finn and Artie LOL.)

A few days after my first day at McKinley, I was doing the homework I had forgotten to do the night before at lunch. Mercedes and Kurt were talking about the latest person to be kicked off America's Next Top Model. Artie was nibbling on his lunch, probably waiting for the perfect time to throw a sarcastic comment into the conversation.

"Did any of you understand what Ms. Callan read to us in English?" I asked them, trying to spice up the conversation.

"They don't even use half those words anymore," Artie said. "It's pointless!"

"But guys, Shakespeare wrote some of the greatest stories of modern literature!" Kurt said. "A Mid Summer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet… that's what Titanic was based off of you know."

"Yeah, and Taylor Lautner looked horrible in the new Twilight movie," Mercedes said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey Squints," a gruff voice said behind us. I automatically recognized the voice as Noah Puckerman's. I had quickly become one of his main targets to make fun of along with Artie. "How are things goin' with you and your little girlfriend?" He clapped his hand on my right shoulder.

"Get your hands off me," I said under my breath.

"She's _not _my girlfriend," Artie told him, getting mad.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Puck said. "No one would ever like you, 'cause you're a Lima Loser!"

"I can't take this anymore!" I yelled, jumping up from my seat. "I've taken all your BS this whole week, and now I'm done with it!" With every word, I inched closer and closer to him. When I was eye level with his shoulders, I pushed him a little, or at least tired to.

"Derek, go get two slushies, one for Jordyn here, and the other for her little boyfriend!" Puck commanded.

I turned around slowly towards my lunch table. Artie looked really nervous, Kurt looked horrified, and Mercedes was just shaking her head. I was confused; what was a slushie and what was Puck going to do with them?

I turned back around to face Puck and his posse of Neanderthals. The kid named Derek came through the small crowd and handed Puck two large 7-Eleven kind of cups. I shut my eyes, bracing myself for what was about to come.

Suddenly I felt a freezing cold, icy liquid on my head. I opened my eyes, and it was in my hair, starting to get on my shirt, and probably all over my face. By then, a small crowd had started forming around us. I looked back at my table, and Artie's head and face was covered in the same purple-pink liquid, making his hair fall over his eyes. He looked very upset and embarrassed.

"You… you think you can do whatever the hell you want just because you're the star of the football team don't you?" I asked Puck through clenched teeth.

He looked taken aback, probably because no one else ever had the guts to stand up to him, especially after getting a slushie poured all over them.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked, shoving me onto the floor as he said am.

Within seconds I did a face plant onto the floor. He was a lot stronger than he looked. The crowd around us had tripled, and I saw that Finn was standing with the jocks. I got up from the floor, staggering in the process. I discovered that when I fell, I had given myself a fat lip.

"I'm not scfared off you," I told him, trying to fight back my tears.

"You should be," one of his friends yelled.

The crowd dissipated, and then it was just me, Artie, Kurt and Mercedes again. When Artie and Kurt saw my face, they looked dumbstruck.

"Jordyn, I… do you want me to take you to the nurse?" Artie asked, sounding uncomfortable. "Your lip is kinda bleeding."

I couldn't tell him yes, because I knew I would start crying, so I just nodded. As we walked out of the cafeteria, I held onto one of the handles of Artie's wheelchair. I felt like everyone had suddenly looked up from what they were doing and were staring at me.

We finally got to the nurse, and I sat down on the end of the small row of chairs so Artie could be next to me. The nurse came out from the room where the cots were. She was sort of old, probably a few years older than my parents.

"What do we have here?" she asked, leaning down to examine me. "Did you get into a fight? And why are you two covered in soda?"

"It's not soda ma'am," Artie told her politely. "It's slushie."

"Oh," she said. "Well, why don't you go get cleaned up? I'll take care of your friend."

He turned around and rolled out the door.

"Who did this to you?" the nurse asked as she dabbed a wet cloth on my bleeding lip.

"Noah Puckerman," I told her, tears trickling down my cheeks. I was _not _going to cry in school. "He called me a Lima Loser and then pushed me."

"I'll let Principal Figgins know," she told me. "Your lip isn't bleeding anymore, so you can go back to class."

"Thank you," I said, grabbing my bag from under the chair and walking out the door.

I couldn't hold my emotions in any longer; so I decided to go to guidance. I hoped to God that the counselor was a girl, because I couldn't really talk about what had happened with a guy. I found the guidance office- it was right near the nurse- and walked into the big room. There was a table and chairs in the middle of the room, and some comfy looking chairs against one wall. It smelled like moth balls and Lysol, just like my grandparents' house. There were a few small rooms connected to the main room, and I walked into the first one.

When I walked in, a young looking woman with red hair and brown eyes was sitting at the desk, and Mr. Shuester was sitting in one of the chairs.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry for er… interrupting."

They both looked at me.

"No no, it's fine," Mr. Shuester assured me, looking confused. "You look like you need someone to talk to. I should be getting back to my room anyway, the bell's about to ring."

"I'll see you later?" the woman asked him.

"Of course," he said with a smile and squeezing her hand.

He walked out, and she watched him until he was out the door.

"Come, sit down," she told me.

I didn't say anything, I just sat down in one of the comfortable chairs.

"I'm Ms. Pillsbury by the way," she told me.

"Jordyn Phillips," I told her. She went onto the computer and found my whole file that had been sent to McKinley from my old school.

"It says here you're basically a straight A student," she said.

"Mhmm," I said with little enthusiasm. I hated when people knew I was smart, because then that's all they would talk about.

"Now, tell me what happened," she said. "Because you look like you've been through hell and back."

"I was sitting at lunch with my friends, Artie Abrams, Mercedes Jones, and Kurt Hummel, when Noah Puckerman came up behind us and started making fun of me and Artie," I explained. "And this whole week, I've been dealing with Puck's bull sh- I mean, him being mean to us. And today I finally had enough of it, so I lashed out on him and he poured slushies on Artie and me. He kept saying that I was Lima Loser, and then practically the whole school had made a crowd around us, waiting for something to happen. So Puck pushed me, and I got a fat lip… which is why I'm talking like this."

She looked at me sympathetically. "Good for you… I think you're the first person stand up to Puck," she mused. "B-but violence is _not _the answer."

* * *

I walked out of the guidance office feeling better than I had when I walked in. That wasn't saying much, because I wasn't ready to face everyone in my ninth period class. I wasn't planning on staying for 8th period, but Ms. Pillsbury had convinced me to tell her everything about myself. I was walking to my English class slower than usual when I saw Finn walking out of Mrs. Ferguson's room. Great, my bad mood just got worse. It wasn't that I hated Finn, or that I was scared of him, I just felt uncomfortable whenever he was around. Probably because he always looked blank, no expression on his face.

He saw me and waved a little, walking towards me.

"Hey, how come you weren't in study hall?" he asked.

"I was in guidance," I told him, not making eye contact. It was too difficult, when I looked him straight in the eyes, nothing was there. He wouldn't let anyone see what was there.

"Oh," he said. "Well, I saw what happened at lunch…"

"Of course you did," I snapped. "You were _with _Puck when it all happened! Why… why didn't you do anything to stop him!"

"I couldn't have done anything," he said. "I wouldn't have had the guts to stand up to Puck."

"_You_? The quarterback of the football team?" I asked.

Before he could answer, the bell rang.

"I gotta go," he said.

"Me too," I said.

I walked to English feeling very confused.

* * *

All of ninth period, I was wondering about Finn had told me. He hadn't had the guts to stand up to Puck? What the hell was that about? I made a mental note to ask Artie about it on our daily walk home from school. I was pushing Artie down the sidewalk of the street that led to our neighborhood when I thought of it again.

"Artie, can I ask you something?" I asked him.

"Sure," he said, tilting his head back so he could see me.

"Didn't you tell me that Finn Hudson was quarterback of the football team, not afraid of anything and all that stuff?" I asked him again.

"Yeah," he said nonchalantly.

"Well, today I saw him after 8th period and asked him why he didn't do anything to stop Puck from pushing me when he saw the whole thing, and he said he didn't have the guts to stand up to him."

"He hasn't been the same since everything happened," he mumbled.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, Finn used to go out with Quinn Fabray, ya know the Cheerio who's in Glee Club? And then she got pregnant, but the baby wasn't his, it was Puck's. So that relationship and friendship ended. Then like two months later, Finn and Rachel started going out. We all thought they'd last a _long _time."

He paused, probably to collect his thoughts.

"They did," he said. "Almost a year a few months ago. One day she told him that he was holding her back from fulfilling her dreams of becoming a Broadway star, and he was completely heartbroken."

"So he doesn't trust anyone anymore because of what happened with Rachel?" I asked.

"He said he won't let himself fall for anyone again," Artie added.

"How do you know all this?" I asked him.

"When you're as quiet as me, you hear a lot of things," he laughed.


	4. Meet the Siblings?

About a week and a half had passed since my little incident with Puck and his jock friends. Christmas was two weeks away. Things had been going smoothly, I went over to Artie and Kurt's houses to study a few times. I met Artie's parents and little brother Jack, and they loved the idea of Artie being friends with me. I think they thought we liked each other, but he kept assuring them that that wasn't the case. I met Kurt's dad as well. He was the typical dad, wanting Kurt to excel in anything other than Glee Club, but supported him anyway. Neither they nor Mercedes had been to my house. It wasn't that I was afraid to show them where I lived, because no one in Lima was really that rich. It just always worked out better that we went to their houses I guess.

Things had gotten even more awkward with Finn though. I had no idea why, I saw him practically every day in study hall and at Glee Club, and we only said our "hi's" "how are thing's" and "did you see our game last night's", and that was it.

During my free period that day, Artie had come up to me, asking if I needed help studying for the English test we had on Monday. And me being me, I automatically asked him if he was trying to cover it up to be a date.

"Of course not," he said, his voice cracking. "You need to study; I need to study, why don't we study together?"

"Sure Artie," I said. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile.

There was no Glee Club on Fridays, so we decided to go right to my house after school.

Artie and I were walking home from school, like any other day, him talking to me about random things, and me pushing his wheelchair. We turned onto my street, and he tilted his head back, wanting to tell me something.

"This is your street?" he asked. "These are some of the nicest houses in Lima… but that's not saying much."

"Yeah," I said sheepishly. "My mom's a realtor and my dad's the sports writer for the Herald."

Then for some reason, the conversation I had with Finn on my first day ran through my head.

"That's cool," he said. "You must know a lot about sports then."

"Yeah, football and baseball are my favorite sports," I told him.

He didn't answer me at all. For a few seconds, there was a silence between us that could've spanned the whole state of Ohio. It was weird, because we usually never shut up.

"Oh look, we're at my house," I said quickly I pushed him up my small driveway. We got up to the front door, and I realized we had a little problem. The front door of my house wasn't… wheelchair accessible. Artie must've noticed it too, because he looked a little annoyed, maybe even disappointed. "There's gotta be someone home… I'll be right back."

I walked into my house, suddenly feeling bad for leaving Artie in the cold. I raced around the downstairs of the house, finding no one.

"Is anybody home?" I called upstairs.

"Yeah yeah," someone said, who's voice I recognized as Mike's. "What do you need ki- wow, I can see you're not a kid anymore!"

"Mike!" I cried, hugging him around the waist. "I thought you weren't gonna be here until the week of Christmas…"

"I decided to come home early," he said with a smile. "I missed you guys."

"I _just _called you a few weeks ago on your birthday," I said.

"It's not the same," he said. "Now why did you wake me up from my nap?"

"My friend Artie," I said, waving to him. The door was still wide open, letting a draft into the house. He waved back, and I could see that his teeth were chattering. "He's in a wheelchair, and I can't get him into the house by myself." He gave a look that said "Are you sure he's not _just _your friend?"

"I can see that," Mike said. He quickly put a jacket on and went over by Artie. "I'll get the back, and you can just hold the front steady so he doesn't fall out."

"Okay," I said. I held onto the front of Artie's chair and thanked God that I still had my jacket on, because if I didn't he could probably see down my shirt. I knew he wouldn't look though, he was too much of a gentleman, but he was still a guy and liked that stuff.

"Got it?" Mike asked me.

"Yup," I said.

Mike tilted Artie back and rolled the chair through the threshold. It bumped over the stopper a few times, but eventually we got him in the house.

"That was easier than I thought it was gonna be," Artie said, laughing a little.

"This is my brother Mike," I told him.

"Mike, this is Artie," I said to Mike. He walked over to him and they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you kid," he said.

"Same to you… man," Artie said awkwardly.

"Okay, um, we're gonna go study in the living room," I said. "'Cause Artie can't get up the stairs."

I led Artie into my living room, which had a big couch and a TV. There were pictures of me, Mike, and Abby hung up everywhere. Our Christmas tree was already up, and had a few presents under it.

"You guys better not do anything but study!" Mike called from the kitchen.

"Oh, don't worry, we won't," I called back.

* * *

Artie and I were still going over our notes and important scenes in the play were reading in English when my sister Abby came home from school. She walked past the living room and into the kitchen, her Hello Kitty backpack hung over her right shoulder, and came running into the living room.

"Jordyn," she gasped. "You… you brought a boy home?"

"He's my friend Ab," I told her, calling her by her second nickname. "His name's Artie." She walked slowly into the room, staring at Artie's chair. "It's alright, nothing to be scared of."

"Hi," he said cheerfully.

"I'm… I'm…" she said.

"Abby," he said, finishing what she was going to say. "Jordyn tells me a lot about you."

Her eyes widened. "Well, I'm gonna go have a snack," she said, blushing.

"Mike's home," I told her.  
"Really?" she asked. She ran out of the room, and then turned around. "Bye Artie."

He waved and smiled at her.

"She's a cutie," he said. "Very outgoing."

"She doesn't shut up," I said.

"I can tell," he said with a chuckle.

"I think she has a little crush on you," I said, nudging his shoulder.

"That's a first," he said. He sighed heavily.

"Um, I wanted to ask you something," I told him. His face lit up. "How come when I told you my favorite sport was baseball, you got upset?"

The smile on his face quickly faded, turning into a small frown.

"Before the accident, and all this happened, I was the best pitcher in Ohio," he told me solemnly. "And after everything happened, my dream of ever becoming a baseball player was crushed."

"Sorry I even brought it up," I said.

"It's okay, I don't get upset anymore, not as much as I used to," he said.

"But just think," I said. "If you hadn't gotten into the accident, you wouldn't be in Glee Club, and you wouldn't put that great voice of yours to good use."

A smile formed on his lips.

"I'm really glad we're such good friends, you know that right?" he asked.

"Me too Artie, me too," I said.

(AN: I hope everyone liked this chapter!! I don't think it's that exciting, but every story needs fillers right? Things will be getting interesting soon…)


	5. Christmas I mean HOLIDAY Performance

I was sitting in Glee Club with Artie and Kurt, like any other Wednesday. Mr. Schuester was running late, so we all had the chance to gossip.

"Did you hear about that sale at the mall?" Kurt asked me.

"Which one now?" I asked.

"_All _items are _60% off _this whole weekend at Marc Jacobs!" he squealed. I saw Puck roll his eyes.

_What a douchebag, I thought. I can't understand how Finn was ever friends with him. _

"I don't know if I can go this weekend… my brother's home from college and we're probably doing family stuff," I told him.

He looked at me quizzically as if asking "Brother? Is he hot?". "You _cannot _miss out on an opportunity like this Jordyn!" he cried.

"I'll see if I can go," I told him. Artie looked bored out of his freakin' mind. "Where's Mr. Schue?"

"I don't know," he said. "Probably making out with Ms. Pillsbury in the janitor's closet…"

"Come on, they're teachers, they wouldn't go that far on school property," I joked. "And they're so cute together. Do you see the way they look at each other?"

"I think my definition of cute is different than your definition of cute," he said.

Just then, Mr. Schuester walked briskly into the choir room, carrying a stack of sheet music. He set it down on the piano.

"It's that time of year again," he announced, clapping his hands. "We have to start getting ready for the Christmas performance!"

"Don't you mean _holiday _performance?" Rachel asked him. "Because some of us-"she looked back at Puck- "are Jewish."

"Er, sorry," he said. "_Holiday _performance."

She smiled.

"Anyway, I have some songs here that we need to practice, and we're going to have to have choreography for each number," he said. Kurt grinned, because he was our choreographer. "We got 'Blue Christmas' by Elvis Presley, 'Little Saint Nick' by The Beach Boys, 'White Christmas' by Bing Crosby, 'Light the Hanukkah Candles', a um, clean version of 'The Chanukkah Song' by Adam Sandler, 'Please Come Home For Christmas' by The Eagles, 'Here Comes Santa Claus' and 'Sleigh Ride'."

"How long is the show gonna be?" Finn asked. I hadn't heard him say a word in Glee Club for weeks.

"Like 2 hours," he told him. "It's our biggest event of the year besides sectionals."

"Oh 'cause I have a basketball game at four," he said.

"The show isn't until seven," Rachel told him. "So you won't miss your little basketball game." There was a hint of bitchyness in her voice. Okay, maybe not just a hint… she was trying to sound like one.

"Mr. Schue," Quinn said. "My parents are probably going to this thing, so can we at least have one religious song?"

"I'll see what I can do Quinn," he told her. He took part of the stack of papers and handed them out. "Here's 'Little Saint Nick'," he said, handing out the papers. "You guys know this song right?"

There was a chorus of "yeah's".

"Is there going to be a solo?" Rachel asked.

_Of course she wants to know if there's going to be a solo, I thought. She always has to be the center of attention…_

"Not in this one," he told her. "Everyone's gonna be singing, except who gets chosen to play Santa for the number."

She frowned.

* * *

That was two weeks ago. Tonight was the night of the Holiday Performance, and everyone was jittery and nervous. We had learned the lyrics to all eight songs in the time we had, but the choreography was a little off, which Kurt was not happy about. He had made us come to the auditorium right after school that day and practice until we dropped. We were down to the homestretch; it was almost seven, and everyone was crowded behind the curtain, waiting for Principal Figgins to introduce us to the parents and family members sitting in the audience. Our first number was 'Sleigh Ride', and in the little scene that went along with the song, we had to be in 'sleighs'. Principal Figgins introduced us and the curtain opened. We were dressed in wintery clothes, smiling to the audience.

"Just hear those sleigh bells jingling,  
Ring ting tingling too  
Come on, it's lovely weather  
For a sleigh ride together with you  
Outside the snow is falling  
And friends are calling "yoo hoo"," we sang.  
"Come on, it's lovely weather  
For a sleigh ride together with you.  
Giddy yap, giddy yap, giddy yap,  
Let's go, Let's look at the show,  
We're riding in a wonderland of snow.  
Giddy yap, giddy yap, gidd yap,  
It's grand, Just holding your hand,  
We're gliding along with a song  
Of a wintery fairy land

Our cheeks are nice and rosy  
And comfy cozy are we  
We're snuggled up together  
Like two birds of a feather would be  
Let's take that road before us  
And sing a chorus or two  
Come on, it's lovely weather  
For a sleigh ride together with you.

There's a birthday party  
At the home of Farmer Gray  
It'll be the perfect ending a perfect day  
We'll be singing the songs  
We love to sing without a single stop  
At the fireplace while we watch  
The chestnuts pop. pop! pop! pop!

There's a happy feeling  
Nothing in the world can buy  
When they pass around the coffe and the pumpkin pie  
It'll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Iives  
These wonderful things are the things  
We remember all through our lives!

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling,  
Ring ting tingling too  
Come on, it's lovely weather  
For a sleigh ride together with you  
Outside the snow is falling  
And friends are calling "yoo hoo",  
Come on, it's lovely weather  
For a sleigh ride together with you.

It's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you."

Everyone clapped, giving us a standing ovation. I saw my parents and siblings out in the crowd, and I think my mom was crying. I also found Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury in the crowd too, and Mr. Schuester had a huge smile on his face, and Ms. Pillsbury was clapping like crazy.

The next number was 'Little Saint Nick', and Finn was chosen as Santa because he was the only one big enough to fit in the suit Mr. Schuester ordered. Rachel, Mercedes, Artie and Quinn were the elves, and everyone else was the reindeer. Kurt had supposedly thought up this little idea while watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and made everyone that were the reindeer put on those antler headbands, including Puck. During that number I was conveniently put next to him, and he kept shoulder checking me every once and a while, making me wobble. From then on I knew it was going to be _long _night.


	6. Luck of the Draw

The last day of school before winter break was finally here. All day I couldn't concentrate on anything because I just wanted the day to be over. Mr. Schuester told us during Spanish to come down to the choir room during lunch. He said he needed us to do something for a "special assignment" he was giving us after winter break. When the bell for 6th period, Artie, Kurt and I went down to the choir room, the jocks, Cheerios and Finn trailing behind us. We all waited at the door, trying to see if anyone was in the room. True to his word, Mr. Schue was sitting at the piano. Kurt strutted into the room like he was on the runway. We all followed in suit.

"Hey… guys," he said. He must've been a little surprised that everyone showed up.

"Hey Mr. Schue," Finn said, going over to the piano. He was surprisingly dressed festively; he was wearing a red flannel shirt with a green t-shirt under it.

"What did you want us down here for?" Puck asked. "I'm missing lunch!"

"You can wait ten minutes Noah," Mr. Schuester told him. He frowned. "Anyway, I know you're all probably wondering why I wanted you all to come down here…"

"I'm sorry Mr. Schue," Rachel said. "But I'm missing chemistry and-"

"You're going to have to sing a duet with someone after winter break," he finally blurted out.

"Can we pick who we sing with?" Brittany asked.

"I have the hat you're all going to pick a name from right here," he said, showing us the newsboy cap. There was a chorus of groans and moans. "_But_… the person you get and yourself can choose the song!"  
He was trying too hard to make this whole thing sound fun. "Who wants to go first?"

Rachel was of course the only one to raise her hand.

"No peeking," he said as she stuck her hand in the hat.

She pulled a slip of paper out and opened it. "Noah Puckerman?!" she cried. "Mr. Schue, can I pick again?"

"Sorry Rach, you picked Puck," he told her. "You have to sing the duet with him."

She pouted and did her classic Rachel Berry storm-out. The room got silent and everyone turned towards the door, seeing if Rachel would be coming back.

"We don't have much time guys," Mr. Schue said. "Finn, why don't you pick next?"

He sighed heavily, stuck his hand into the hat, and pulled out a piece of paper.

I could've sworn I saw him blushing. "Jordyn," he said, smiling sheepishly. Why was he blushing? He picked _me _of all people!

"Next," Mr. Schue said. Artie went and got Kurt.

"Cool," he said.

After about ten more minutes, everyone had a partner for the duets assignment. Mike got Tina, Mercedes got Santana, and Mike got Matt because he was the last one left.

"This is gonna be great!" Mr. Schue said. Everyone rolled their eyes or said something sarcastic. For most of us, this was going to be the farthest thing from great.

(AN: I know it's really short… I promise the next one is gonna be much longer!! Remember to read and review =)).


	7. Weirdest Christmas Eve Ever

(AN: I'm warning everyone right now, this chapter is very fluffy and very angsty…)

It was finally Christmas Eve, and Kurt, Artie and I were getting ready to watch "The Sound of Music" and "It's A Wonderful Life" on Kurt's huge TV in his living room. Mercedes was supposed to come, but she had stuff to do with her family. Kurt's house was pretty big; it had a huge staircase leading to the upstairs, and the living room had 15 foot ceilings. His Christmas tree had more ornaments than I could count on it.

I'd watched "The Sound of Music" growing up when it was on TV, but I'd never actually watched it all the way through. Kurt said it was his favorite movie, and truthfully I wasn't surprised. It had singing, dancing, and romance; all of the things Kurt loved in movies. He put the DVD in the player and sat back down on the couch. When Maria started running around outside the convent singing 'The Sound of Music', Kurt's face lit up. I sat back on the couch, trying to get comfortable. The movie was almost 3 hours long. Artie cradled his head in his hand, propping his arm on the handle of his chair.

"Have you guys seen this movie before?" Kurt asked.

"Only bits and pieces," I told him.

"It's too freakin' long," Artie said.

"Wha-too long?" Kurt asked rhetorically. "'The Sound of Music' is one of the best movies ever!"

"I didn't say I didn't like it," he laughed. "It's a good movie so far."

Just then, Kurt started singing along with Julie Andrews, and I couldn't help giggling. Artie noticed and cracked a smile.

It finally got up to my favorite part in the movie, the part where Captain Von Trapp introduces Maria to the kids. I really don't know why I liked it so much; I guess it was because I liked seeing all of their personalities. Brigitta, Kurt, Marta, and Fredrich were my favorites.

"Hey Kurt," I said. "Were you named after the Kurt in this movie?"

"I don't think so," he said. "My mom did like musicals a lot though, so maybe."

"Shh! I'm trying to watch the movie!" Artie exclaimed.

"I didn't think he would get into it," I laughed.

"Me neither," Kurt agreed.

"Would you guys _quit _talking?" he exclaimed again.

I burst out laughing.

"It's coming up to a good part," Kurt said, trying to make me stop laughing.

"Okay, okay," I said, trying to catch my breath. The couch in the living room was big enough that both Kurt and I would have plenty of room, so I decided lay down. Artie was so close to the arm of the couch that my head was on that I almost hit my head on the side of his chair.

* * *

The movie was almost over when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out and I didn't recognize the number, but it could've been anyone, so I opened it up. All it said was 'Hi', so I texted the person back.

* * *

_Who is this?_

* * *

_Finn =) _

* * *

I froze. _Finn _texted _me_?? Kurt saw the surprised look on my face.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Finn just texted me," I told him. Artie coughed in disbelief and Kurt's eyes widened. "Lemme text him back."

* * *

_How did u get my number?_

* * *

_I have my ways ;) _

_Where are u?_

* * *

_Kurt's house… y? _

* * *

_My mom went on a date nd _

_I'm here by myself…_

* * *

"Guys, he just told me that his mom went on a date and he's at his house all by himself," I told them. "I feel bad; nobody should be alone on Christmas Eve."

Kurt turned away from the TV.

"Tell him that he can come over here if he wants," he said quietly. He didn't sound like he was mad either; it was like he _wanted _Finn to come over.

"Artie, is that cool with you?" I asked him.

"We don't really know him," he said. "But I wouldn't wanna be alone on Christmas Eve either."

* * *

_Kurt and Artie say it's cool =)_

* * *

_Ok I'll be there in like 20 mins _

_if I don't get lost lol_

* * *

The credits rolled across the screen after I sent the text to Finn. Kurt got up and stopped the movie.

"So… what did you think?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"It was better than I expected," Artie said. "Ya know, since I'm not really a musical kinda guy."

"I loved it Kurt," I said. "It's better when you've watched it before I think."

"I know right?" he said.

Just then, we heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I turned around to see Kurt's dad, Burt, walking into the living room.

"Hey kids," he said.

"Hi Dad," Kurt said.

"What're you guys watching?" he asked. "'The Sound of Music'… you defiantly are just like your mother."

Kurt smiled.

"Well… I'll leave you kids alone," his dad said. "I got some paperwork to do anyway."

He walked out of the living room and went upstairs.

"Before I forget, I made us cookies!" Kurt told us. "They're not gonna be ready until…" he looked at the clock "5:30."

"What kind are they?" Artie asked, looking up when he heard food being mentioned.

"Sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles and stuff on them," Kurt told us.

"Yay!" I cried. "I hope you made a lot… those are kind of addicting."

"I made like two dozen," he said like it was no big deal.

Just then, the doorbell rang, echoing through the entire downstairs of the Hummel house. I knew it was Finn, so I started getting nervous, but I had no idea why. Finn was good looking, that was for sure, but _way _out of my league because of his jock status. And plus, he was really distant and introverted, which scared me a little. Kurt practically ran to the front door, sweeping his bangs out of his face before opening it.

"Hi Finn come on in," he said, leading him into the foyer. "Welcome to my… humble abode."

"Hey Kurt," he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his letterman jacket. "Nice place…"

"Come in, come in," Kurt insisted. "I don't live in a museum!"

He led Finn into the living room, where Artie and I were. Artie was telling me about the new shooting game that just came out for the Xbox when they walked in. Kurt was beaming, and Finn looked kind of uneasy.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey Finn," Artie said.

"What's up guys?" he asked, walking into the room. He was behind the couch now, and Kurt was right next to him.

"You can um, sit here if you want," I said hesitantly, gesturing to the empty spot next to me.

"That's cool," he said nonchalantly. I had a feeling he was mentally doing back flips, but I shoved the thought of out my mind. He sat down on the soft leather couch, making the cushion I was sitting on cave a little.

"Are we gonna watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' soon?" I asked Kurt. "I've never seen it before."

"You've never seen it? Really?" Artie asked. "It's a classic!"

"I'm putting the DVD in!" Kurt announced. He pressed a few buttons on the remote and sat down on the couch on the other side of Finn. The movie started, and I sat back on the couch. I saw a smile forming on Finn's lips.

* * *

**Kurt's Thoughts **

I really don't understand it… How thickheaded could she possibly be? Jordyn is completely oblivious to the fact that Finn has feelings for her. I mean, I should be jealous right now, because he should be watching _my _every move like a lost puppy, not her. But something inside me is making me feel happy for her. She's pretty enough to get a guy like him, even though she says all the time that she's not, she dresses great, and she's a really good listener… And it's not like she just completely ignores him, I see her blushing whenever he looks at her.

I still think she's a lucky bitch because she gets to sing with him for the duets and I got Artie… not that's Artie's not cool, he is, but he _defiantly _needs some help in the fashion department.

_The oven timer goes off. _

My cookies are ready! I should really drag Jordyn in there with me so I can tell her about Finn…

* * *

**Jordyn's POV **

Kurt was staring into space for some weird reason. _Probably thinking about the Gucci swag he's gonna get tomorrow, I thought. _How could be space out during a movie like this? It was really, really good so far. Every so often, I caught Finn stealing glances at me. Automatically I blushed deep red, because I wasn't used to guys doing that kind of stuff, especially a guy like Finn Hudson. The oven timer went off in the kitchen, and Kurt sprang up from the couch.

"That's the cookies," he said. "Jordyn, why don't you _come into the kitchen with me?_"

"Oh-okay," I stuttered. He walked over to me, grabbed my hand, smiled at Finn, and practically dragged me into his kitchen.

"How could you not see it?" he whispered once the door had stopped swinging.

"See what?" I asked him. "I thought you needed my help with the cookies…"

"I do," he said, opening the oven. "But your head must be thicker than a block of lead **(hahah that rhymes) **if you can't see what's been going on!"

"I really don't know what you're talking about," I said seriously.

He put the trays of cookies on the counter and turned around so he was facing me.

"Okay, so you're telling me that this _whole _time you haven't noticed Finn looking at you like every second?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. I giggled at the sight of it.

"Well yeah I noticed it a few times," I admitted it. "But it doesn't mean anything!"

"So what you're saying is that him watching your every move means he doesn't like you?" he asked again.

"No…" I said, smiling sheepishly. "Okay, I get that he might have feelings for me. But I don't like him like that."

He rolled his eyes and handed me a giant plate of cookies. "Whatever you say Jordyn," he said.

I pushed the swinging door open with my free hand, and when Artie saw the cookies, his face lit up.

"Finally!" Artie exclaimed. He blushed, realizing he screamed.

"They look really good," Finn said, leaning for one. He took a bite of a Christmas tree cookie. "Oh my God, these _are _good!"

"Don't look at me, Kurt made 'em," I told him.

"These are great man," he told Kurt. Kurt's cheeks tinted pink.

"Hey Kurt… do you have any milk?" Artie asked.

"Yeah sure, I'll be right back," he said, walking into the kitchen.

Finn reached for the last cookie on the plate, but when he saw that I was watching him, he stopped himself.

"You can have it if you want," he said. "I've had enough already."

"It's the last one, and I know how guys are about their food," I said, looking over at Artie, who had a cookie stuffed into his mouth and was about to take a sip of milk.

"If you insist," he said, taking the cookie and dunking it in his milk.

"Let's get back to the movie," Kurt said. "You guys wanna see how it ends don't you?"

* * *

We watched the rest of "It's a Wonderful Life", and at the end Kurt and I cried or eyes out. It was a really touching story. Artie and Finn got really awkward, seeing me really cry for the first time.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked me. "'Cause my dad's here."

"You can go," I told him. "Merry Christmas."

"Alright," he said, giving me a hug. "Merry Christmas." He smiled warmly before he rolled out Kurt's front door.

"Jordyn, do you need a ride home?" Kurt asked. "My dad said he wouldn't mi-"

"I'll drive her home," Finn objected. "I'd be happy to." He smiled at me, looking me straight in the eyes.

"I, um," I had no idea what to say.

"She'd like that," Kurt told him. "Go go, it's getting late… we don't wanna get stuck in that snow storm do we?"

"You're right," Finn said. "C'mon Jordyn."

"Kay," was all I said.

He led me through the snow on Kurt's lawn, gently grabbing my wrist when I almost slipped on a patch of ice. I got into the passenger's seat of his pickup truck, and he turned the key in the ignition. The radio came on, and it was a station playing Christmas songs, so I cheered up a little. I was still uncomfortable around Finn, but not as much as I had been before. I had really started paying attention to the way he acted around me after Kurt made the assumption that Finn had feelings for me. "All I Want For Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey started playing, and I could've sworn I saw him blush a deep shade of red. He smiled sheepishly at me, and I smiled back. He let out a nervous laugh and then looked at the road again.

"I had a really good time," he said above the music, which was at a low volume.

"Me too," I agreed. "Kurt and Artie great aren't they?"

"Yeah, they're cool once you get to know them," he said, almost mumbling. "It feels weird being around them though, 'cause I used to help Puck throw Kurt in the dumpster and slushie Artie…"

"That's horrible," I stated. "How were you ever friends with him?"

"We grew up together, but after everything with Quinn," he said. "And then what happened with Rachel…" He sniffed loudly. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," I told him. "You've… you've been through a lot. You lost your best friend _and _the girl you thought you loved within the same year."

"I can't go through it again," he said, not taking his eyes off the road. "I can't get let down like that again. I can't…" he started letting out quiet sobs. "Everyone thinks I'm just some dumb-as-a-bag-of-sand jock who doesn't have any feelings, like Puck. But I'm more than that… I guess you're the only one that sees that now." Just then, I felt something had changed. The barriers were knocked down; he'd poured his heart out to me. And the worst part was he didn't know that I couldn't reciprocate the supposed feelings he had for me.

"It's Christmas," I said. "You shouldn't be upset right now… I shouldn't have brought it up."

"I-It's fine," he said. "I had to tell someone sometime." He looked away from the road. "I'm glad it was you."


	8. Acceptance

(AN: This is gonna be the last chapter before Christmas, because I'm going to be very busy the next few days with family stuff. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!! Remember to read and review xD).

It was inevitable. I had to tell Finn what had happened the night before, but I was too damn shy to text him or even call him. I couldn't wait around for him to make a move, because if I waited too long I knew it would be too late. I felt like I was in a movie, but this was real. Under the dim lights of Finn's pickup truck, I realized just how attractive he really was. His eyes were warm and comforting, yet he always looked focused and determined. When he smiled, my heart suddenly fluttered and I got a really bad case of butterflies in my stomach. He still made me nervous, but for different reasons than before.

I _had _to tell him, but I was scared of out my mind. I really shouldn't have been as scared as I was, because I had a strong feeling that he felt the same way about me. I'd opened the text I was going to send him at least 50 times, but never brought myself to send it. You see, I'd fallen in love more than once, but the other person always ended up breaking my heart. So this time my confidence level was at an all time low.

This time was different for some reason. I knew that if I told him everything I felt about him, that he wouldn't feel the same way and I'd be humiliated like all the other times. I knew I wouldn't be able to speak or even look at him again.


	9. Rachel Berry's Rockin' New Years Eve

I got out of Artie's dad's car, and we walked up to Rachel's front door. Her house was average sized and had two nice cars parked in the driveway. I rang the doorbell, and Rachel answered the door, looking annoyingly chipper as usual.

"Hi guys," she said. "You're right on time, it's about eight now!"

"Hi Rachel," I said, trying my best to be nice. I couldn't really be _that _nice to the girl who broke Finn's heart. Or one of them anyway.

"Come on in guys," she said. "Everyone's already here…"

Artie gave me a "I thought she said we were on time" look.

She gestured for us to come in the house, and when we walked into the living room, everyone from Glee Club was there- Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury, Puck, Mike, Matt, Quinn, Brittany, Santana, Tina, Kurt, Mercedes, and of course Finn. My stomach went into knots when I saw him standing by where the food was.

"Hey Jordyn! Hey Artie!" Mercedes called, waving us over to where her and Kurt were sitting.

"Hi guys," I said.

"What's going on?" Artie asked.

"Streisand over there said that there's gonna be karaoke later," she told us. "But that's about it."

"Exciting," Artie said sarcastically. "Well I'm gonna go get something to drink…"

He rolled over to where all the soda and food was.

"So…" Kurt said. "Did you tell him yet?"

"Tell who what?" I asked, confused.

"Girl, I tell Kurt _everything_. And I mean everything," Mercedes said.

"You didn't!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my voice down.

"Mhmm, I'm afraid she did," Kurt informed me. "So when are you gonna tell him?"

"I-I wasn't planning on telling him," I admitted.

"You cant be serious," Kurt said. "You _have _to tell him sooner or later… and what a more romantic time to do it than New Year's Eve?"

"I don't know…" I said, looking into my lap. "I have a feeling I'll end up being humiliated in front of everyone."

"You won't know anything unless you tell him," Mercedes said.

"Who won't know anything unless they tell who?" Artie asked suddenly. He must've come back from getting a drink. I hated that he was so quiet, especially at a time like that.

"Not-" I started.

"Jordyn won't tell Finn that she _likes him_," Kurt told him, giving me a look.

"What? No way!!" Artie exclaimed. He looked like he was about to burst out laughing, as if he couldn't believe what Kurt had told him.

"Artie," Mercedes said. "Don't…"

"Jordyn loves Finn!" he yelled.

In that split second, I felt everyone turn around from whatever they were doing and stare at me. I couldn't handle it, and tears started welling in my eyes.

"Screw you Artie," I said, walking past him. I walked out of the room and out the door without thinking, so I forgot about my jacket. I walked down the street aimlessly, just wanting to get away from everyone at the party, especially Finn.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I got nervous, because you never know who's on the streets this late at night, even in a quiet town like Lima. I turned around to see Kurt and Mercedes trying to catch their breath.

"Why'd you run out of there so fast?" Mercedes asked me.

"Why do you think?" I asked back. "I didn't wanna deal with being humiliated in front of the guy I like!"

"Well, Artie says he's sorry," Kurt told me.

"Whatever just tell him I forgive him," I told him. "I just wanna be alone right now."

"Okay, we'll be at the party if you need us," Kurt said, giving me a hug.

I walked a little further and found a bench to sit on. I started crying a little again, making me face burn. I kept telling myself that Finn would never feel the same about me. After all, he did have an "image" to protect. Again, I heard footsteps coming towards me.

"I said I wanted to be alone," I mumbled.

"Sorry," the person said. I automatically knew it was Finn. "Kurt and Mercedes… they said you'd be somewhere around here."

"Why're you here?" I asked.

_Crap, I thought. I didn't wanna sound _that _mean. _

"Well- I… was Artie telling the truth?" he asked, sitting down next to me. "Do you love me?"

"He was exaggerating quite a bit," I told him. "I… I do like you a lot though."

He looked surprised and then looked like he was thinking.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way," I lied, turning away from him.

"No no," he said. "It just took me a minute to process what you said."

"Oh," I said so quietly it was almost inaudible. He had the effect on me; whenever I was around him I could barely speak.

"I like you too," he said, sounding nervous. "I have for… a while now."

"What?" I asked him, not believing what he told me.

"I like you too," he said quietly.

There was an awkward silence between us that seemed like it lasted forever.

"You're shivering," he said finally. "Let's go back to the party." He could tell I was worried. "There's nothing to be worried about, come on."

"Alright," I told him.

We stood up from the bench and started walking back towards Rachel's house. I was freezing my ass off, and Finn put his arm around my shoulders to try and keep me warm.

We got back to Rachel's and when everyone saw us walk in with Finn's arm around me, they froze again.

"What the hell is going on?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing," Finn told her. "I found Jordyn and convinced her to come back to the party."

She rolled her eyes at him and went into the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go hang out with Mercedes and Kurt and Artie," I told him.

He looked a little disappointed but then shrugged it off.

"Girl, you better spill!" Mercedes exclaimed, pulling my arm. "What happened?"

"He told me he liked me," I said dreamily.

"That's it?" Kurt asked. "No 'I've loved you forever' or anything?"

"Well he _did _say that he's liked me for a long time," I said.

"Did he ask you out?" Mercedes asked.

"No," I told them.

"He probably will," Artie said. "If he likes you as much as he said."

"Thanks Artie," I said with a smile. "I forgive you about before, you know that right?"

"Yeah, everything's cool," he told me.

(AN: I know this chapter is kind of fluffy, but it's a big turning point in the story. If you're bored with the story, I'll just tell you right now that there's going to be some major angst in the next few chapters… Remember to read and review!!)


	10. Accidents Happen

(AN: I don't own Glee, Ryan Murphy does. And I don't own Avatar either, James Cameron does. And there's a "celebrity guest star" in this chapter… Mark Wahlberg is going to be Jordyn's uncle. Enjoy and remember to read and review!!)

Artie and I were pulling out of the parking lot of the movie theater (the only one in town to be exact). We had just gone to see 'Avatar', and it was awesome even though we had to be towards the front because Artie needed the handicap seat. His dad had let us borrow his van, because that was the only car Artie could get into without any help.

"That was a great movie!" Artie said when we were coming out of the parking lot.

"I know, everything looked so real with all the special effects," I said.

"Yeah," he agreed.

We drove down the main strip of Lima, where most of the stores and "main attractions" were. I hit a red light, and suddenly there was a thud coming from behind us. Before I knew it, my head hit the steering wheel really hard.

"Jordyn!" was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking a few times in the process. Everything came into focus, and i was in a room with white walls and gross furniture. Then it came to me: I was in the hospital. I tried moving, but then my head started throbbing. Artie was sitting across from me by a few chairs and a table, and I noticed Mr. Schuester of all people was sitting with him.

"What happened?" I asked groggily.

"Oh my God," Mr. Schue exclaimed. "The doctor said he didn't know if you were gonna wake up this soon."

I gave him a confused look.

"You don't remember what happened?" Artie asked, sounding concerned.

"No, all I remember is a loud noise coming from the back of the car, and then you screaming," I told him.

He rolled over to the bed so that he was next to me.

"We got rear-ended pretty badly," he explained. "And I guess the impact made you hit your head… you've been out cold for almost…" he looked at his watch. "Four hours."

"Shit," I mumbled under my breath.

"I panicked 'cause I was the only one in the car," he said. "The first person I thought to call was Mr. Schue."

He smiled warmly. "I filled out all your paperwork," he told me. "Well, as much as I knew." He cleared his throat. "The hospital called your house, and they said your uncle, Dan I think it was, is coming down."

I remembered that my uncle Dan had come from Philadelphia because my parents had gone on a two week cruise. He was my dad's brother, and he and I were really close.

"What's the damage?" I asked them.

Artie and Mr. Schuester looked at each other nervously.

"Are you sure you wanna know?" Artie asked.

I nodded my head yes.

"When your head hit the steering wheel, you got a concussion," Mr. Schue told me. "And now you have a, um, big bruise on your forehead, and some cuts on your face."

I ran my hand across my forehead, feeling the tenderness where the bruise was.

"The doctor said since it's Saturday you can probably come back to school Monday or Tuesday," he told me.

"Do… my parents know?" I asked.

"The hospital called them first, which is how they found out to call your uncle," Mr. Schue told me.

"What about everyone?" I asked again.

"You mean Glee Club?" Artie asked. "I sent a mass text to all of them, and they'll probably be here soon."

Suddenly, I saw another familiar face, my uncle Dan. He stood in the doorway with a small smile on his face, holding a balloon that said 'Get Well Soon' on it and some candy. When he saw me lying in the hospital bed, his expression changed completely. I'd never seen him this upset, and I felt guilty.

He walked into the room and Mr. Schuester walked over to him.

"Will Schuester," he told my uncle. "I'm Jordyn's Spanish teacher, and Glee Club advisor."

"Nice to meet you," he said, shaking Mr. Schue's hand.

"Hi sir," Artie said, obviously feeling a little intimidated. He wasn't the biggest guy around, but everyone was tall compared to Artie because he was always sitting in his wheelchair. "I-I'm Artie."

"You're the Artie Jordyn's always talking about," he said. "Nice to finally meet you."

"You too sir," Artie said quietly.

"Jordyn, I can't believe this happened," Uncle Dan said. He looked really, really upset. "How're you doing?"

"Alright, except for the fact that I have a huge ass bruise on my face," I said.

"Hey, don't curse," he told me. "But it's… pretty bad." He handed me a small mirror.

I couldn't believe what I saw. From about the middle of my forehead to right below my eyebrow on the right side of my face was turning purple.

"The doctor said it was a miracle that something didn't happen to your eye," Mr. Schue said.

"What would I have told you parents if that happened?" Uncle Dan asked me with a smile.

"Mr. Schue, how's she…" I heard Finn say. I looked past my uncle and saw Finn standing in the doorway. "Doing?" His voice cracked a little when he said that.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" he asked him with a laugh.

His eyes were suddenly filled with sympathy as he walked slowly towards me.

My uncle studied him carefully. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Finn, Finn Hudson," Finn told him.

"Are you…" he said.

"No no," he told him. "We're just friends."

My uncle nodded.

"We should leave them alone," I heard Artie say quietly.

After he said that, Finn and I were the only ones in the room. Suddenly I started getting nervous.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"Me and Artie got into a car accident," I told him. "I don't remember anything after it happened except waking up here."

He sat down on the bed next to me, catching me off guard.

"My heart is breaking right now, do you know that?" he asked. He reached out and very gently brushed his fingers across where the bruise was. I felt the heat from his fingers and it made me shudder. It surprised me that someone as big and clumsy as him could be so gentle and sweet. I liked that about him.

I nodded my head yes.

He coughed. "Well, um, I guess everyone else'll be up here pretty soon," he said. "They were freaking out."

"Really?" I asked, sitting up in my hospital bed.

"We all care about you," he told me in all seriousness.

I gave him a small smile.

"What about the duets?" I asked. "I'm sure I'm gonna have to miss a few days of school 'cause of my concussion…"

"You were in a car accident, and the only thing you're worried about is Glee?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I love it… I've never been so passionate about anything in my life," I told him.

He got up from the bed and walked a few steps. "Well, I better get going," he said. "Your uncle probably thinks we're making out or something."

His comment made me blush a deep red. He noticed and grinned.

"See you later Jordyn," he said, walking out of the room.

"Bye," I said, disappointed that he left so soon.


	11. Rehersals

I was able to go back to school on Monday, 2 days after the accident. Everyone from glee, including Puck and the Cheerios showed up at the hospital the day after it happened. They said all the usual hi's, how're you doing's and set their gifts (if they had any) on the table where my uncle was sitting, and left. Artie and Kurt came to see me every day I was recovering, even though it was a little awkward when they had to get through questionings from my uncle. He was being overprotective, and I hated it. Finn surprisingly came to the hospital the day after the accident too, but he was by himself. I was dying to ask him what came over him to make him do what he did the first time he came to visit me, but I never brought up the courage to ask, so I just left it alone. Here's how it all went down: I was dozing off a little from the painkillers the nurse had given me through IV (my head still hurt really badly), and all of a sudden I see somebody walk into the room.

"Hey Finn," uncle Dan said.

"Mr. Phillips," he said simply. "How's she doing?"

"They just gave her some more painkillers, so she's a little out of it at the moment," he told him. "She's been asking for you."

"What?" I heard him ask. Everything was starting to go blurry; I guess I was falling asleep.

"Yeah, all day," I heard my uncle ask.

I heard him faintly cough. Then I think a nurse came in and told him he had to fill out some papers so they could release me from the hospital. I heard footsteps coming towards me.

"Jordyn, can you hear me?" they asked. I knew right away it was Finn.

I wanted to tell him I was really glad he was there, but I couldn't because the drugs were making me loopy.

"Hmmm," I whined. Sadly it was all I could do.

I guess he took that as a yes, because I saw him sit into the chair next to my bed.

"How're you doin' today?" he asked.

I felt like I was in a dream. Everything was blurry and I couldn't speak, and I wanted so badly to just _talk _to him.

I shook my head no.

"Not good?" he asked.

I blinked a few times, and everything cleared up. The painkillers must've worn off… great.

"Horrible," I squeaked out. "I feel like shit."

"I can tell," he laughed. He wriggled around a little in his chair.

"Why're you here?" I asked him.

"I… I wanted to see you," he said sheepishly.

* * *

"So that's basically what happened," I told Mercedes and Kurt at lunch.

"That's so cute!" Mercedes squealed. "He's defiantly gonna ask you out soon!"

"I don't know…" I said.

"You've _got _to be kidding me," Kurt said. "He already told you he likes you, he visited you _twice_ when you were in the hospital, and you're partners for the duets! It's gonna happen soon."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked him.

"Well, for starters, you two are already spending a lot of time together for being "just friends"," he said, using air quotes. "And prancing around on stage with him, _grinding _up against his body during the song." By now he was biting his lip.

"Oh please, it's not like we're doing 'You're the One That I Want' or something," I said. "We're not get all orgasmic like in the movie."

* * *

During study hall, I decided to tell Finn my ideas about the song for our duet. I wanted it to be something meaningful and cute, but not a complete gush fest.

"I was thinking 'You're My Best Friend' by Queen," I told him. "I have it on my iPod so you can listen to it."

I took my iPod out, gave him a headphone and clicked the song. He smirked a few times, and when it was over he smiled.

"I like it," he said.

"Really? Cool," I said.

"Yeah, I think we could do it," he told me.

"So we'll start rehearsing today in the auditorium after school?" I asked.

"Sounds good to me," he said.

* * *

REHERSALS DAY 1

I was sitting on one of the chairs by the auditorium after school, waiting for Finn to show up. He said he had basketball practice, so I had to wait until 3:30 to rehearse. I had my iPod in my ears, so I was pretty calm. I didn't realize what time it was, because suddenly Finn was standing over me. His hair was wet, like he'd just come out of the shower.

_He looks weirdly cute when his hair's wet, I thought. _

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yup," I told him, taking my headphones out of my ears.

He helped me up and we went to the auditorium.

When we got in there, it was empty, and I started getting anxious. I don't think Finn and I had ever _really _been alone before. At least not like this.

"Okay," I said once we had reached the stage. "Do you wanna practice the song or the choreography first?"

"The song's easier," he said.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile.

* * *

REHERSALS DAY 2

The next afternoon, I beat Finn to the auditorium, so I went in and decided to mess around with the piano. I'd learned how to play a few years back, and I could carry a tune if it wasn't too difficult. I started playing something I remembered hearing a little while ago on the radio. I didn't remember what it was called though.

"Hey!" Finn called from the top of the stairs. "Was that you?"

I nodded as he walked down the stairs towards the stage.

"Well then, you're good," he told me.

"Thanks," I said, blushing.

"What's on the agenda for today?" he asked.

"I was thinking we should get the band in here so we have music," I said.

"Isn't it a little soon?" he asked.

"We're performing on Thursday, and it's already Tuesday," I informed him.

"I guess you're right," he said.

* * *

REHERSALS DAY 3

The day before, we practiced with the band and practiced the choreography. It needed a little work, but things were going great. And not just with the duet; Finn and I were getting a lot closer.

"We're in the homestretch now," he said, sitting on the edge of the stage. We were waiting for a few more people from the band to come.

"Yeah," I said. "I can't believe it's almost over."

"I know," he told me. He looked around the auditorium nervously.

Just then, the drummer showed up and we started rehearsing for the last time.

After almost three hours of dancing and singing it was all over. The next day we would be performing for our parents, friends and teachers. I collected my things and made my way up the auditorium stairs.

"Jordyn," Finn said from behind me. "I was wondering… do you wanna go get something to eat?"

I looked at the clock on my phone. It read 6:02. "Sure," I said. "Lemme just call my parents."

"Okay," he said.

I walked a little further up the stairs and dialed my house phone.

"Hello?" my sister answered.

"Hey Abby, it's me," I told her. "Can you tell Uncle Dan I'm gonna be home a little late?"

"Yeah," she said. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business," I hissed.

"A _date_?" she asked.

"No… not a date," I sort of lied.

"Okay, bye," she said.

I hung up and rolled my eyes.

"My little sister," I told him as he came up next to me. "She wanted to know if I was going on a date."

"Well you kind of are, aren't you?" he asked. "I mean, we're both gonna be at the same place at the same time, eating at the same table-"

"Okay, okay, it's a date," I said.

He smiled, making me giddy.

(AN: I hope everyone liked this chapter… remember to read and review!!)


	12. First Date

(AN: I thought I left too much hanging in the last chapter, so I decided to write this chapter. So I hope everyone likes, and remember to read and review.)

We walked out of the auditorium entrance of the school and to Finn's pickup truck. The last time I was in there was Christmas Eve, when he spilled his guts to me. He opened the passenger's side door for me and then got in the driver's seat.

"So… where do you wanna go?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter," I said.

We decided on going to a small fast food restaurant downtown by the movie theater. Finn pulled into the parking lot, got out of the car, ran over to my side and opened the door for me.

"Thank you," I said, hopping out of the car. He was such a gentleman; that was really hard to find.

"No problem," he said with a smile.

We walked into the restaurant and he held that door open for me too. I found a booth by the window while he got the food.

"Where'd you learn to be such a gentleman?" I asked when he got back with a tray full of food.

"My mom always taught me to respect women and stuff like that," he said.

* * *

The "date" went really well, at least to me. We talked about our families, and school, and of course sports. I told him I loved baseball and football, and it was over. That was all we talked about until he dropped me off at my house.

I was really happy when I walked through my front door, because with Finn, everything clicked. We could talk about anything for hours. The date had just proved it.

I couldn't wait for the next day; that night was the duet performance.


End file.
